A/n: Picture above is an ogopogo. I tried to recolor it to reflect Lyra, but it turned out awful! I imagined the black portion being gold, the underbelly white, and the spikes (other yellow parts) to also be white. And of course, green eyes. Hope you all enjoy this next chapter! Love you all!!!
~✨Celestial✨~
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|| The Hideaway ||
|| Central Storm Deadlands ||
|| Year of the Realm - 878 ||

"Over this way, my lady!"

Lyra, who was currently in the form of an ogopogo, was swimming through the murky waters of the deadlands around the hideaway. She was assisting in the movement of some cargo. The people of the hideaway would fill boats with goods and she would use her large form to easily move it through the water to reach where it needed to go.

Once the boat was safely where it needed to be, she shifted into a griffin and used her strength and flying ability to deliver any cargo that needed to be dropped off on the upper decks of the hideaway. She grabbed one of the boxes that would go to the atrium and flew there. She dropped the box off, receiving a thank you from the young woman who was waiting.

She flew down just in time to see the boat was empty and landed on the pier. "Is a second trip required?"

The man sighed. "I'm afraid so, my lady. But if you are tired—"

"Not at all. I want to help." She transformed back into an ogopogo and dove below the water's surface. She took the empty boat back to where it was first filled and repeated the process again.

By the time she was finished transporting cargo, she was a little exhausted and idly floated in the water to relax herself. Although it was tainted, she enjoyed the floating sensation. With a sigh, she closed her eyes for a few minutes. It wasn't until she heard her name being called did she open her eyes. Looking to the pier, she saw Clive had returned from Kostnice.

Diving under the water, she swam toward the pier. She raised her head out of the water once she was near the edge of the pier. Her emerald eyes gazed down at him. "I didn't notice your return." She noticed the troubled look on his face and could tell things didn't end well in Kostnice. She lowered her head and nuzzled her snout against his chest. "If everything went our way, this world would be perfect. Please, do not let this one failure dampen your spirit."

Clive placed a hand on top of her snout. "It would be a dream world to get what we want when we desire it..." He pushed what happened in Kostnice aside and said, "Otto told me how hard you've been working in my absence. I only ask you not to push yourself to the brink of exhaustion."

"This coming from the man who does just that?" Lyra reverted back. Clive helped her out of the water and she dried herself off with a bit of wind magic. She then looked questioningly into his sapphire eyes. "I can tell you're exhausted. Best you rest for now." She grabbed his hand and pulled him along all the way to their room. Inside, she escorted him to the bed and gently pushed him down onto it.

Just as her fingers were about to slip through his, Clive grabbed her hand. He was about to ask her to stay with him but held his tongue. "Apologies, Lyra." He let go of her hand. "I was about to make a selfish request..."

Smiling, she combed a few strands of hair out of his face. "You are the most selfless person I know. There is no shame in being selfish at times."

"You...make me a selfish man," he told her.

This made her laugh. "So it's my fault, hmm? Does that mean your selfish request involves me? Now you must tell me what you desire."

Clive huffed out a chuckle. "Will you—"

The sound of knocking interrupted them. Someone was at the door.

Lyra stopped Clive when she saw him about to stand up. "I'll handle it. Just rest." She pushed him back onto the bed before walking over to the door. Opening the door, she greeted the person. "Hello, Otto."

"Lady Edelweiss," Otto handed her a folded piece of paper. "Here's the letter from Gav. Do ensure Clive gets it."

"Of course. Thank you, Otto." She closed the door. She didn't open the letter and placed it on the desk. From the corner of her eye, she noticed Clive was about to stand up and said, "Stay."

Clive stopped. He looked over at her before deciding to remain on the bed.

She smirked. "Good boy. Now..." She walked over to him and pushed him further down on the bed. "Get some rest. If I find you at your desk when I return, I'll drag you back to bed myself."

"Should you not be resting as well?" he asked.

"I haven't been working as hard as you."

He shook his head with a scoff. "I don't believe it for a moment."

"Speaking of work, I need to pay a visit to the backyard. While I'm gone, you are forbidden to leave that bed. Understood?"

Unable to argue, Clive gave in to her demands. "Yes."

"I'll be back soon. Sleep well, Clive." Lyra left the room and headed to the backyard to see how the growth of the apple trees was. She was more than thrilled when she learned the apples would be named after Martelle. It made her happy to know Martelle's memory would be remembered by the apple trees that were blooming beautifully.

Lyra spent the next couple of hours helping in the backyard. She aided with the plants before she found herself distracted when she found an empty pot that had chalk drawings on it. She smiled, knowing Tett and Crow were the ones behind the drawings. Filling the pot with soil, she placed a couple of morganbeard seeds inside before infusing the seeds with magic. She watched them bloom fully right before her eyes.

"They're beautiful, Lyra," Nigel said. "Perhaps you will grow more in the future and brighten up this place with all kinds of flowers."

"I..." Lyra hadn't thought about growing flowers to add some color to the hideaway. But now, she was eager to do just that. "Would love to do that. Once I gather more seeds, I will surely have to spread their beauty across the hideaway. Until then, these will have to do."

After she provided the morganbeards with purified water, she picked up the pot and left the backyard. She returned to the room she shared with Clive. Quietly, she slipped inside to avoid waking the man. She placed the pot on the desk and admired the yellow flowers. She adored their beauty and the gentle scent they carried with them. She provided them with a little more magic to ensure they would continue to bloom.

Her attention was tugged away from the morganbeards when she felt two arms wrap around her waist. Her back collided with a firm chest. "I thought you were still resting."

Clive caught a whiff of the flowers. "This scent... It's familiar. It reminds me of home."

"Morganbeards," she said. "They were commonly grown in Rosalith. You may remember them from the palace gardens."

"That would explain the familiarity. Did you grow these?"

"I did," she replied. "I thought they would add a little color to the room."

"They do seem to brighten it up."

Lyra turned around in his arms and looked up at him with a hopeful smile. "Would it be all right if I were to decorate the hideaway with flowers?"

He smiled down at her. "You need not ask. Do what you wish."

Her smile widened. "This place will be decorated with flowers in no time. But first, I'll need to collect seeds." She turned back around to the flowers, only to realize the letter from Gav was still waiting to be read. "We should read what Gav has to report. I am quite curious as to what the Dhalmekians are up to."

Clive pulled away from her and grabbed the letter. He opened to see what Gav had to report.

*****

The Republican Army marches on the empire at Twinside and the Men of the Rock have been summoned to the front. Something big is brewing, I reckon. I'll see you're done to ware upon my return.

-Gav

*****

"The Republican Army is on the march, leaving Ran'dellah in Hugo Kupka's charge," Clive informed the golden-haired woman. "With him and his men occupied with the defense of the capital, they're less likely to trouble us."

"It has been a while since we've received good news," Lyra said.

"It's more than that. This is our chance." Clive put the letter down. "The one we've been waiting for."

As Clive sat down at his desk and started to deliberate a strategy, Lyra rearranged the items to make it more organized. While doing this, she listened to him mumble to himself how what they had done wasn't good enough.

She stopped at hearing him talk in such a manner. "Yet, consider how much progress we have achieved. Our companions and our refuge of solace are all blessings that should be celebrated."

"Five years. Five long years..." Clive hunched over the map in defeat. "If I could only command this power I've been granted, we might have achieved so much more. But each time I reach for it, it's like something is holding me back."

Lyra grabbed a pitcher of wine and two silver chalices. "Though I am not familiar with the burden of an Eikon, I do understand the feeling of worthlessness. You wish to control Ifrit to make more progress and to avoid heavily relying on others. I believe something is holding you back for a good reason, whether it is to protect your body or preserve your sanity."

"And every burden I cannot bear falls to you and Jill..." He sighed heavily.

Her hand froze mere inches from the handle of the pitcher. "I...haven't done much. Ever since I awoke from the coma, I have yet to leave the hideaway. Perhaps it is because I fear Indra will find me." She raised her other hand and placed it over her chest where the god had stabbed her five years ago. "What is to stop him from thrusting his blade through my heart a second time?"

"Lyra..." Clive murmured her name sadly.

"But..." Lyra poured wine into the two chalices. "I cannot continue to live in fear. If a corrupted god is running amuck on this star, I am the only one who can stop him. I believe a good starting point to draw him out is the destruction of the Mothercrystals. Even if he wasn't a threat, we must see to their destruction to save this world."

She walked over to stand on the opposite side of him. She places her hand on the map and traced the deadlands with her finger. An emerald light followed the flow of her finger. "Once they have been eradicated, I shall breathe life into the ashen land and restore it to its former glory. However, I cannot do it alone. You, Jill, Gav, Cid... So many have supported this seemingly hopeless endeavor. But there is so much more to my mission now. Cid's dream—our dream are interwoven. I will not stand for how the world is in its current state. Neither I nor the other gods who created it desired to allow such abuse to plague it. This is not just a fight for regeneration, it's also a fight for freedom. I would do anything to achieve those goals. Not once have I believed you or another person to be a burden because we all are doing everything in our power to heal this world."

Clive was speechless at her words. He lowered his head, his fists clenching tightly as they rested on the desk. He still felt troubled at being unable to call upon Ifrit.

Lyra continued after seeing his expression. "Ifrit is not who you are. He may be a part, but he isn't the whole. You are Clive Rosfield before any Eikon, and that is why Joshua protected you at Drake's Head. He gave you the chance to survive and rewrite the world."

Clive revealed the Phoenix feather in his possession. "He did. He was there. It wasn't an illusion. I heard him call out...to Ultima. If Joshua is still alive, he'll be looking for that...that thing."

"Then our paths will cross again," Lyra declared. She grabbed the two chalices and handed one to Clive. "Ultima is the being who infiltrated the heavens and slaughtered the gods. I recognize his form, Typhon... The creature that crawled from the void and the man are one and the same. If Indra and Ultima truly are conspiring together, then it is only time before we encounter him again."

Clive stood up and held out the chalice. "To a world without Mothercrystals. To Cid."

Lyra held out her chalice to toast and smiled. "To you, Clive Rosfield, for keeping his dream alive and seeing to the world he wished to create."

He smiled at her before taking a sip.

She too took a small gulp before lowering the chalice from her lips.

Suddenly, the door was thrown open and Otto stormed into the room. "Master Clive, a moment, if you—" He stopped mid-sentence when he saw the couple. "Ah—My apologies. I didn't mean to intrude."

"Not at all." Lyra put her cup down.

"Speak freely, Otto," Clive said.

"It's Martha. From the inn. She's gone missing," he informed them. "Anyway...I'll be in the mess when you've finished."

"Very well."

As quickly as Otto arrived, he left.

Clive put his chalice down. "What would make Martha leave the Rest...?"

"Let's hurry to Otto," Lyra said.

Leaving their chambers, the couple proceeded to the mess to get more details about what happened to Martha.

"What do we know, Otto?" Clive asked.

"Some lads from the imperial garrison in Rosaria started a fight over at Martha's Rest. Blood was spilled, bones were broken—the usual. But somewhere in the middle of it all, Martha vanished without a word to anyone. And that ain't like her, Clive. Something's not right."

"You think this was planned?"

"Course it bloody was. Ever since Eastpool, the empire's been tightening its grip round the duchy's balls... They've strung up everyone who's ever set eyes on a runaway, claiming they're "traitors to the holy throne, conspiring to restore the house of Rosfield to power. And now it sounds like the bastards have turned their attention to the poor Bearers meek enough to stay put. Naturally, old Martha could see the way the wind was blowing. Complained that it was getting harder and harder to take Bearers in."

"And now she's missing," Clive concluded. "If she's fallen into the hands of the empire...we could be next."

"Couple of Cursebreakers are already on their way to the inn," Otto stated. "They should help speed up the search, but if this is as bad as I think it is, you might end up having to save their arses and all."

"Don't worry, Otto. I'll make sure everyone gets home safe."

Clive and Lyra walked away from the man.

"This doesn't bode well," Lyra muttered.

"I'll talk to Jill. We'll leave right away," Clive said.

"Wait," she spoke up before he walked off. "I want to help. It's about time I returned to the battlefield. With all my training in the last year, I know I am ready."

"Are you certain?" He asked. "There is no shame in remaining behind."

She nodded. "Yes. I shall fly ahead and get more information about the incident."

He sighed. "Even though I would prefer you to remain here where it is safe..."

She playfully smiled at him. "A caged bird cannot remain trapped forever if they wish to spread their wings."

Clive thought for a second before agreeing. "All right, but be careful."

"I will."

Morphing into a hawk, she took to the sky and flew as fast as she could to Martha's Rest.

|| Martha's Rest ||
|| Central Rosaria ||

Lyra landed behind a building that was void of people and reverted back. She ran to the Golden Stable while listening to the painful cries of those who were attacked. She entered the inn and found Cole.

"Lyra?" Cole called out, confused at her appearance.

She looked around at the destroyed interior before meeting the Cursebreaker's gaze. "What happened here, Cole?"

"They're saying the imperials descended like a storm. No one was spared their fury. Martha tried to step in and calm things down, but all her efforts got her were a pair of iron shackles and a hard march. Judging by their tracks, they headed towards Sorrowise Bay."

"Sorrowise? Why would...?" Lyra's eyes widen in realization. She knew about Glaidemond Abbey and how it was supposed to be a safe haven for the Bearers Martha took in when the crystal's curse had spread too far. "By the heavens..."

"Is something wrong?" Cole asked.

"Forgive me, Cole, but I must depart. I will return soon."

Lyra stormed out of the inn and immediately transformed, not caring who saw. She flew in the direction of the abbey, only to swoop down toward a bridge when she noticed an injured figure. It was Martha. She reverted back and ran to the injured woman. "Martha!"

Martha lifted her head, shocked to see the woman. "Lyra? Oh, gods... Don't worry about me. It's them at the abbey who need you. You have to do something...!"

"Slow down," Lyra tried to calm her down. "Tell me what happened."

"What happened? The damned Black Shields, that's what happened."

Her brows furrowed together. "I've never heard of the Black Shields. What did they do?"

"The bastards caught wind the abbot and I were helping Bearers. They were going to hang us both...when the sick rose from their beds." Martha lowered her head. "Poor souls turned on the imperials, distracted them long enough for me to get away."

Lyra provided her with some healing so she was well enough to get back on her feet. "I'll head to the abbey. Cole is waiting back at the inn with the other Cursebreakers. Can you make it back on your own?"

"Yes, my lady." Martha accepted the woman's help and was pulled to her feet. "Please, hurry!"

Not wasting a second, Lyra transformed into a hawk and flew to the abbey. She landed and reverted before running through the front doors. The air reeked of death. When she found the bloodied corpses of the Bearers, she was overcome with sorrow and anger. She double-checked the corpses to see if they were all dead. To her dismay, she couldn't save anyone.

She tried to keep her emotions in check as she left the building. She was about to check the other building when she saw imperial soldiers had arrived. Alongside them were men in black armor with gold accents. They were members of the Black Shields. She glared at the men as they surrounded her.

"Wait a damn moment..." an imperial soldier muttered. "You're the miracle healer!"

The other imperial soldier laughed. "Well, well. Looks like this will be a good payday after all!"

"Try not to scratch that pretty face of hers," one of the Black Shields said.

As they approached her with their weapons drawn, Lyra let her anger take over. Her talismans circled around her at a high speed. "Be gone, you wretches." Consumed by darkness, the talismans created a powerful vortex that swallowed up the enemies. She listened to their dying screams as the powerful spell corroded their armor and melted their flesh.

When the vortex vanished, the remains of the soldiers fell to the ground. Having no sympathy for them, she rushed over to the other building. Opening the door, she was greeted by another horrific scene. She found more dead Bearers and the corpse of the abbot. Like before, she did a thorough examination to see if they were all truly dead. To her surprise, she found a Bearer who was barely alive.

She kneeled before the heavily injured Bearer. "Thank the heavens... I am a friend of Martha's. I can help you."

"Are the imperials...dead?" the man asked feebly, gripping his bleeding arm.

"Yes. I have taken care of them."

The Bearer coughed. "The Black Shields...will return. The cullings...will continue... Rosaria will never be saved...unless we save her... Tell Martha...to beg Cid's aid. And tell her...this wasn't her fault."

"Please, stop talking. Let me heal you."

Lyra reached out to heal him, but he refused. "Thank you...for your kindness, my lady. Let that be...the last kindness that...was shown to me..." He went limp and his breathing stopped.

The Bearer was dead.

Lyra retracted her shaking hands and stood up. She looked around at the massacre, wondering if she had gotten here sooner she could have saved them.

"Lyra?! Where are you?!"

Hearing Clive's shouting, she exited the building. "I'm here."

Clive and Jill ran over to her with Torgal and Cole behind them. They saw her melancholic expression and didn't need to ask what happened.

"We should lay them to rest," she murmured sadly to her childhood friends.

The group got to work gathering the bodies of the Bearers and the abbot. They had buried the abbot's body while all that remained of the Bearers was ash. Once the work was done, they gathered in front of the abbey.

"We've laid the abbot to rest," Cole said. "But the Bearers—They didn't need to die like this."

Jill gazed sadly at the sack that contained the ashes of the Bearers. "No, they didn't. But it was their choice. They knew the fate that awaited them, and chose to meet it on their terms—fighting for those who fought for them."

"Martha said they rose from their beds threw themselves at the imperials so she and the abbot could escape."

"I've gathered the Bearers' remains. We should consign them to the tide."

"There's a drawbridge not far from here. Riddock's Jump. The currents there are swift," Cole said. "If the abbot was still with us, he'd have taken the dust there himself to perform the Casting. I'll get someone to—"

"I'll do it," Clive offered.

"I'll accompany you. I...wish to see them off with a prayer," Lyra spoke up.

"Of course." Jill looked back at the Cursebreaker. "Cole and I will remain here and see to the imperials."

"Or..." Cole glanced around at the bodies of the imperial soldiers and Black Shields. "What is left of them, anyway..."

Clive picked up the sack and laid it on his shoulder. Lyra followed behind him as they left the abbey with Torgal in tow. They silently made their way to Riddock's Jump. Fortunately, they were able to locate the bridge and where they would be parting with the ashes.

Taking the sack, Clive gently sprinkles the ashes into the water. "So shall the waters cleanse thee of thy burden...and bear it out to sea."

When Clive finished, Lyra stood next to him. She clasped her hands together and prayed for their peaceful departure from this world. As she prayed, the aether beneath their feet and in the air took on an emerald hue. It was the same phenomenon that had occurred at Eastpool.

Clive was in utter shock. He reached out to touch one of the glowing orbs of aether. It shattered and the shards vanished. It was a beautiful sight to behold. He watched the emerald hue fade and the aether was no longer visible to the human eye.

Lyra's prayer ended. She sighed sorrowfully before looking over at him. "We should return to the village. I want to see how Martha is faring."

"All right," Clive replied.

When they turned to leave, they were horrified to find a person standing not too far away from them.

Indra had appeared.